Chapter 25: Helping Out

"Father, melon! Melon!" Ye Chengyang called out, hugging his father's thigh.

"Frog, you? Still quack quack, only know how to eat!" Ye Yaodong looked at his leg, which was covered in mud prints from him, with disdain, and casually picked the vegetable melon he had gnawed. "Take it back and wash it before eating, otherwise there will be bugs inside."

Counting the heads again, the number matched, and only then did he return accompanied by the children.

Just as they reached the door, neighbor Aunt Chen looked at him with novelty. "Dongzi, not going out to play today? Actually helped your Grandmother pick corn?"

"Mm!"

Asking what she knew, didn't she see him when he went out? Her eyes even followed his back from the door until she couldn't see him before withdrawing.

Don't ask him how he knew, he had personally experienced seeing it. Women in their rural area were basically like this. Seeing a stranger enter the village was even more exaggerated, their eyes basically stuck to the stranger.

"Why are you few back too? Not meal time yet, this is following the smell back?" Ye's mother looked at the group of children with a smile.

"We went to pick corn with Third Uncle!"

Lin Xiuqing saw her youngest son, who was dirty and covered in dust, and hurriedly stood up. "Why are you so dirty? Covered in dirt, face and hands are all covered, rolled in the field?"

"Haha, Mother, he stole a vegetable melon and was hit by the vegetable melon and fell, then crawled up and became like this!"

"Don't laugh at him, turn your butt around and let your mother see." Ye Yaodong put down the sack and basket, and grabbed his eldest son to turn him around.

Ye Chenghu hurriedly covered his butt in a panic. "No, Father..."

Lin Xiuqing knitted her brows tightly. "What did you do again? Why is there a hole in your butt, what did you play again, running around all day, look at your knees, your legs, where is there still a piece of good meat."

While speaking, she also reached out and slapped his butt hard a few times.

It was only because he was held by his father that he couldn't break free, otherwise he wouldn't have stood there and taken the beating honestly.

"Hurts, Mother, I didn't mean it! Father, let me go."

"Which time you fell wasn't not meaning it? Jumping around all day, pants have a hole here, a hole there, look at the hole above your knee, just patched and it's worn out again, more wasteful of pants than your grandfather doing work."

Seeing the child was scolded until his head lowered, Ye Yaodong was satisfied and loosened his hand. He wouldn't teach the child, and he wouldn't teach the child, so he could only let the child's mother teach.

Fortunately, several decades later, both children were quite filial, um... only filial to their mother... he wouldn't mention it...

The old lady smoothed things over from the side. "Stop scolding him, it's normal for children to run and jump and fall, falling makes them grow fast, hurry back to change pants, come out to eat melon."

With the old lady's amnesty, Ye Chenghu ran into the house like a gust of wind. Lin Xiuqing led her youngest son, who was covered in dirt, and walked inside. Both sons had to change clothes.

While walking, she muttered, "All day long, don't know how many pieces to change, fortunately you have many brothers and sisters, their short clothes can be worn by you."

Ye's mother also muttered a few words, "Noisy all day, running without a shadow, there's never a quiet moment."

"If they were sitting quietly all day, not running or jumping, Mother, you would be worried if they were idiots!"

Ye's mother was choked by Ye Yaodong, glared at him, and had nothing to say.

"Come, come, eat a piece of melon, continue doing it in a moment." The old lady cut a big basin of melon and brought it out to distribute, even distributing it to the neighbors nearby.

Ye Yaodong took a piece of melon and said, "I'll go to the second brother's place to take a look."

His own house, he couldn't be like his previous life and not care about anything. He had to go take a look and help out, to avoid being talked about.

Just walked a few steps away, he heard the women behind him gossiping about him.

"Dongzi seems to have grown up these two days? Actually knows how to pan for seafood, actually knows how to help A-Hua."

"Pull it down, ran away yesterday afternoon, don't know what time he came back last night, anyway I locked the door. A-Qing, what time did Dongzi come back yesterday?"

"Quite early, came back past 7 o'clock."

"Such a big person, not a bit of responsibility..."

Ye Yaodong quickened his pace, his ears were calloused from listening. Walk a bit further, pretend he didn't hear, anyway, he knew he wouldn't be like that again.

Walking to the foundation, Ye Yaohua had already weeded more than half of the weeds, his whole body was sweating like rain, his cheeks were red.

He couldn't help but sigh. For rural people, getting rich through diligence was true. People in their village who were diligent lived quite affluent lives in the next few decades, all pushing down old houses and building small villas, life couldn't be more beautiful.

He didn't dare think about anything else, as long as he lived like everyone else and his family was healthy and safe, that was enough.

"A-Hua!"

He was only two years apart from his second brother, so he never called him second brother, only by name. He would call the eldest brother.

Ye Yaohua heard someone call him and straightened up, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and looked over. "Dongzi, why are you here?"

"Nothing, came to take a look. Starting construction the day after tomorrow? Are the materials and labor all booked?"

"All set, ran around with Father for a day yesterday, all booked, will be delivered tomorrow."

"Pity salty sand can't be used, otherwise sand from the beach could be transported directly to build the house, could save a lot of money."

"Hehe, if salty sand could build houses, it wouldn't be our turn to use it, it would have been shoveled clean long ago."

"How much longer do you have to weed this grass?"

"Almost done after a while. When done, organize it, take these weeds to the open space to burn, after burning, transport the grass ash back to sprinkle on the vegetable plot."

Ye Yaodong: "..."

Using it so thoroughly, not even letting go of weeds, no wonder all the weeds were put on the flatbed cart.

"Burning by the beach? Shall I push it over for you?"

Ye Yaohua looked at him in surprise. It was rare enough that he came to talk to him, but actually took the initiative to ask to help?

"What's wrong, I'm also going to get a set of this house, if I don't help do some work, what if Father goes back on his word? Even if he doesn't go back on his word, I can't bear the scolding from him and Mother."

"Hehe, right, this cart is full, then you help me push it to the open space by the beach, I'll come burn it in a moment, wait for me to finish weeding these grasses first."

"Mm."

Ye Yaodong pushed the flatbed cart against the sun all the way to the open space by the beach. Some women sitting at the door weaving nets frequently cast surprised glances at him, all of which he pretended not to see.

After Ye Yaohua finished weeding and was burning the grass ash, he clapped his hands and left first. It would take a good while after burning, so let his second brother wait here, he wouldn't accompany him under the sun.

It was already almost 10 o'clock, the tide had receded more than half, and people could already be seen digging on the beach in front.

Estimating that the beach at the pier should be exposed soon, he had to go back to get the hook and the bucket.